Experts warn that Canada’s new cap on international student visas raises social and economic concerns while having a potentially “marginal” impact on housing prices.

On Monday, the federal government announced a two-year cap on international student admissions that would see new study visas cut by 35 per cent in some provinces.

Canada had more than 1 million international study permit holders as of December. The office of Immigration Minister Marc Miller has said that some institutions are taking advantage of the high tuition rates international students pay, while offering a poor education and exacerbating the country’s housing crunch.